Eyelash-simulating rooted fibre



Nov. 19, 1968 c. B. JOHNSON EYELASH-SIMULATING ROOTED FIBRE Filed May27, 1966 A va/7' JTIZBWIF;

United States Patent 3,411,235 EYELASH-SIMULATING ROOTED FIBRE CharlotteBuettenback Johnson, Los Angeles, Calif., as-

signor to Mattel, Inc., Hawthorne, Calif., a corporation of CaliforniaFiled May 27, 1966, Ser. No. 553,469 3 Claims. (Cl. 46165) ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE Simulated eyelashes are provided on a doll having arubber-like base simulating eyelids by embedding a plurality of strandsof heat-settable plastic fibre in the base along the lower edges of thesimulated eyelids, heat setting the fibre in an upwardly curvedconfiguration and cutting the fibres to eyelash length.

Dolls traditionally have been fascinating playthings for children,especially little girls. Recent years have seen a particular phenomenonbecome existent in the toy industry. The teenage fashion doll hascaptured the imagination of the collective childrens mind and hasachieved a place therein virtually unequaled in doll history. Thenatural tendency of children, especially little girls, to play grown uphas been captured and directed towards the teenage fashion doll. As aresult, the industry has seen developed a family of teenage dollscharacterized by a virtual living personality group and which have, ifany single indicia can be used to categorize same, the characteristic ofan existence in an adult world the child anticipates will be his or herown upon personal entrance into that adult world. The personalitiescreated in the teenage doll field are de facto engaged in virtuallyevery aspect of adult life that would be anticipated by a child ofrelative tender years. For example, dress, sport activity, familyrelationships, the boy-girl relationship incident to youthfuldevelopment, as well as the myriad of day to day activities thatcharactrize life in mid-twentieth century America re the natural habitatof the doll personalities. Though vicarious, their existence andactivity are very real.

By the very mental intimacy of the association, the children, at playwith their teenage dolls, experience a vista of human emotions normallyassociated with the entrance into an adult pattern of life. With typicalchildish enthusiasm and optimism, each child tends to live, through itsteenage doll play activity, those desirable experiences which producethe maximum joy to the developing immature mind.

In duplicating or vicariously living adult activities with its teenagefashion doll, the child may pay particular attention to the dollscoiffure by either employing different wigs for dilferent occasions orby dyeing the dolls hair. When the childs attention is centered on thedolls coitfure, the child naturally pays attention to the dollseyelashes. In the past, simulated eyelashes have been painted around theeye openings of the teenage fashion doll. Simulated eyelashes of thistype have the disadvantage that they detract from the realism of thedolls coiffure.

Specifically, then, the present invention comprehends a mode ofproviding eyelashes for a doll of the teenage fashion type whichcomprehends simulating curled eyelashes found in the adult world.

In view of the foregoing, it is the primary object of the presentinvention to provide a new and useful method of application ofeyelash-simulating, rooted fibre to dolls.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a new anduseful doll having hair-simulating, rooted eyelashes.

In accordance with the present invention, known meth- 3,411,235 PatentedNov. 19, 1968 ods of application of hair-simulating fibre to the scalpportion of a doll are used to sew a single row of fibres along thesimulated eyelid of a doll. A single row of fibres may be attached toeach simulated eyelid at the time the several rows of hair-simulatingfibre are being sewn in rows along the top of the dolls head. Theseveral rows of hair-simulating fi-bre on the dolls head may then begroomed into a suitable coilfure after which the fibres which simulatethe eyelashes may be swept upwardly over the dolls forehead and securedin this position with a suitable net. e

The fibres are then heat-set in this up-swept position. After theheat-setting operation, the eyelashes 'are trimmed to a suitable length,providing a short eyelash that is rather stiff and somewhat curledupwardly.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel areset forth with particularity in the appended claims. The presentinvention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, togetherwith further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood byreference to the following description, taken in connection with theaccompanying-drawings, in which like reference characters refer to likeelements in the several views.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a dolls head having hair-simulatingfibres attached to the skull and eyelid portions thereof;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 except that the hair-simulatingfibres on the scalp of the doll have been groomed and thehair-simulating fibres on the eyelids have been trained upwardly overthe forehead of the doll;

FIGURE 4 is a side-elevational view of the structure shown in FIG. 3with parts broken away to show internal construction;

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the appearance of theeyelashes after they have been heat-set and trimmed to a proper length;and

FIGURE 6 is a side-elevation'al view of the structure shown in FIG. 5with parts broken away to shown internal construction.

Referring again to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, apresently preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated inconnection with the production of a dolls head, generally indicatedIOfThe dolls head 10 may be formed of a resilient, rubber-like material,and may be molded, in a manner familiar to those skilled in the art, ofa plastisol or other suitable plastic material.

The head 10 includes a scalp portion 12, a forehead 14, a pair ofeyelids 16, 18, a nose 20, lips 22 and a chin 24 A plurality ofhair-simulating strands or fibres 26 and 28 may be applied to the scalp12 and the eyelids 16 and 18, respectively, in accordance with asuitable process, such as that described in Seiderman Patent No.2,636,460

r for applying hair-simulating strands. Such a process, as

applied to the present invention, includes the steps of verticallyreciprocating the pointed end of a hollow needle, not shown, into,through and out of the rubber-like base forming the scalp 12 and theeyelids 16 and 18. The needle has an opening in the pointed end thereofand a strand of continuous fibre is threaded through the opening withthe free end of the strand extending outwardly through the opening. Therubber-like plastisol has sufficient resiliency to grip the strand andmaintain it in place so that the strand is repeatedly embedded in thebase and formed into a plurality of loops 30 on the underside 32 of thescalp 12 and of a plurality of loops 34 on the inside 36 of the eyelid16 and 18.

The strands 26 are then cut to a suitable length so that they may begroomed into a coiffure 38, as shown in FIGS. 3-6. The strands 28 areleft dangling down over the chin 24 of the doll 10 while the strands 26are being groomed to form the coiffure 38. After this grooming step hasbeen completed, however, the fibres 28 are trained upwardly over theforehead 14 and are maintained in place against the forehead 14 byplacing a net-like band 40 around the head 10. The fibres 28 are thenheat-set by bringing them to a temperature of from about 110 C. to about116 C. The fibres 28 are then allowed to coolto room temperature afterwhich the band 40 is removed and the fibres 28 are trimmed to a properlength for forming eyelashes 42, as shown in FIGS. and 6. The heat setsthe eyelashes 42 in an upwardly curved position given to them by pullingthem up over the forehead 14.

The fibres 26 may comprise individual strands of a polyvinylidenechloride having approximately 360 denier per filament. The fibres 28forming the eyelashes 42 may also comprise a polyvinylidene chloride,but these fibres have a much heavier body weight than the fibres 26,being approximately 30 l20 denier per filament with 120 being preferred.

While the particular method of application of eyelashsimulating, rootedfibre herein shown and described in detail is fully capable of attainingthe objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is tobe understood that it is merely illustrative of a presently preferredembodiment of the invention and that no limitations are intended to thedetails of construction, design or methods steps herein shown anddescribed than as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a doll head having a forehead and a rubber-likebase simulating eyelids, simulated eyelashes comprising:

a plurality of strands of fibre embedded in said base along the loweredges of said simulated eyelids, said strands comprising a heat-settableplastic material which has been heat-set in an upwardly curvedconfiguration and cut to eyelash length.

2. A combination as stated in claim 1 wherein said strands comprise apolyvinylide chloride having a denier of approximately 120 per filament.

3. A combination as stated in claim 1 wherein said doll head includes arubber-like scalp portion having hair simulating. strands of said fibreembedded therein, said strands being arranged in a coitfure.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,253,635 8/1941 Mann 461722,636,460 4/1953 Seiderman 132-5 2,695,621 11/1954 Cox 46172 3,362,4171/1968 Glaser 1325" LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner.

